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Take it downtempo with Ben Hayes – Did I? feat. Naomi Banks
Other | Wednesday 15th April 2015 | Christina
South East London-based downtempo-electronica artist Ben Hayes unveils ‘Did I?’ featuring Naomi Banks, from his EP Hedonia, set for independent release on 24th April. Ben’s background is in jazz bass, having studied at Trinity School of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Ben has become a key name in the South East London scene alongside the likes of Shivum Sharma, Jamie Isaac, and King Krule. Actively involved in collaborations, Ben has worked with singer-songwriter Oscar Laurence and has produced SumoChief’s debut EP. He also continues to perform on bass, and is part of Stompy’s Playground, an ensemble who re-work electronic pieces primarily using acoustic instruments.
Ben describes his style as “punctuating evolving organic textures with evocatively lopsided beats, whilst bringing to the foreground the minute beauty hidden in sounds that would otherwise pass us by”. In ‘Did I?’, the synths gradually unfold before disintegrating, leaving just the beautiful tone of Naomi Banks’ voice. The atmospheric nature he creates on the track is reminiscent of SBTRKT and James Blake; its diffusive quality demands another listen.
It’s clear that Ben’s career, both as a performer and producer, is off to an exciting start, and we can’t wait to see where he takes his talent from here. Follow Ben on Twitter and Facebook.
